The Free State of Jones's reviews
Media reviews
New York Times
"Directed by Gary Ross with blunt authority and unusual respect for historical truth, Free State of Jones explores a neglected and fascinating chapter in American history (...) the result is a fascinating visual history".
Chicago Sun-Times
"It is primarily an immensely gripping tale rooted in historical fact and filled with unforgettable images".
The New Yorker
"Ross?s sense of drama is second to his sense of irony; his powerful assemblage of information offers little psychology, symbolic resonance, or practical politics
Rolling Stone
"Like the worst civics lesson, this movie bores away at you till your reactions are dulled".
Variety
"A Civil War drama written and directed with more doggedness than excitement by Gary Ross."
The Hollywood Reporter
"The film is absorbing at first (...) But just as the film seems like it's about to really click (...) it loses momentum midstream and ultimately becomes didactic in its time-jumping final act."
The Wrap
"That you may learn a good deal about an unusually driven man, but never quite feel emotionally connected to him, means Ross has hit a workmanlike middle, crafting a handsome textbook more than a blood-pumping portrait."
Indiewire
"A Civil War story which has no guts, no glory. Gary Ross' Newton Knight biopic can't decide if it wants to be a Civil War epic or a history lesson."
Entertainment Weekly
"The movie lacks brio. Ross (...) confuses noble, cornball sermonizing for art."
Screen Daily
"More history lesson than compelling narrative, Free State Of Jones is an example of what can happen when honourable intentions outpace vision or execution. "
Festival Internacional de Cine de Lanzarote